Seafood City Supermarket Irvine offers a vast seFrom fresh tropical veggies to all your fave Filipino goodies ️ Seafood City is your one-stop-shop for a taste of home in the U.S.! If you’re near Irvine, don’t miss this gem #SeafoodCity #FilipinoFood #TasteOfHome #IrvineEatslection of Filipino staples, fresh seafood, and tropical produce, bringing a slice of home to Filipinos abroad.
On our recent trip to the U.S., we finally had the chance to step inside Seafood City in Irvine, right after indulging in our much-anticipated meal at Jollibee. While we’ve seen this grocery chain many times during past travels—usually because Jollibee tend to be located right beside it—we’d never actually ventured inside until this holiday. Let me tell you, it was like stepping into a mini version of the Philippines right in the heart of California!
For those unfamiliar, Seafood City Supermarket is a major grocery chain catering primarily to the Filipino community in the U.S. You can find branches in key cities like Los Angeles, Northern California, San Diego, Seattle, Nevada, Texas, and even Chicago. They’ve even expanded into Canada. The supermarket offers a vast selection of Filipino staples, fresh seafood, tropical produce, and household essentials that are otherwise hard to come by in mainstream American grocery stores.
What makes Seafood City so special for Filipinos living abroad is its ability to bring a little slice of home right to their doorstep. Walking through the aisles, I saw so many familiar items: sinigang mix, banana ketchup, and longganisa, things that are difficult to find in typical American supermarkets. For someone living in New Zealand, where we have much smaller Filipino grocery stores like PinoPlus (which are more like mini-marts), seeing the scale of Seafood City was jaw-dropping. It’s like a Filipino’s grocery dream come true, packed with everything you could imagine, from fresh produce to snacks, sauces, and even drinks like San Miguel Beer, Red Horse, and Emperador.
One thing that stood out to me was the variety of fresh Filipino tropical vegetables. While in New Zealand, we can usually only get these frozen (if at all), Seafood City had them fresh and ready to go. Vegetables like malunggay, ampalaya, saluyot, and green papaya were all right there, something that’s rare for us back home in New Zealand, where growing these crops is much harder due to climate restrictions.
The name “Seafood City” definitely lives up to its promise. Their selection of fresh seafood was extensive, from sardines and Indian mackerel to prawns, milkfish (bangus), snapper, crabs, and even lobster, again in New Zealand most of these are sold frozen like the bangus, crabs and mackerel. It was impressive to see such a variety, and the freshness of the produce made it even better. I couldn’t help but think about how much I missed fresh fish markets back in the Philippines, and this felt like a nice taste of that experience.
But Seafood City isn’t just about groceries. It serves as a cultural hub for the Filipino community in the U.S. The supermarket is often located near popular Filipino eateries like Jollibee, Chowking, and Grill City, turning a simple grocery run into a one-stop destination for food, groceries, and Filipino culture. There’s something deeply comforting about seeing your favourite childhood restaurants and grabbing a few essentials in one trip.
It’s also worth mentioning the welcoming and friendly staff. The service was top-notch, with the crew being accommodating and eager to help. The place was clean, well-organized, and packed with variety. It’s clear that this supermarket is more than just a place to shop, it’s a place where Filipinos can reconnect with their heritage and feel a sense of belonging. It was great to see other Filipino families doing their shopping, chatting, and sharing a little bit of home with each other.
Seafood City isn’t just a supermarket; it’s a little slice of the Philippines in the U.S. For Filipinos living abroad, it’s a comforting reminder of home, offering everything from nostalgic snacks and ingredients to fresh seafood and produce. If you’re ever near one of their branches, especially in places like Irvine, I highly recommend popping in for a visit. Whether you’re craving some Filipino comfort food or just want to browse through familiar Filipino items, Seafood City has it all. It’s a must-see for anyone missing the flavours of the Philippines while abroad.
Seafood City Supermarket
Address: 2180 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92606, United States
Phone: +1 949-208-3487
Website: https://shopirvine.seafoodcity.com/
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